Body for electric-light fixtures.



W, LUMLBY. BODY FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT FIXTURES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27,1909.

930,307, Patefited Jan.3,1911.

IVi'zn 65166.19.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrree.

WILFRID LUMLEY, OF EAST CONNEAUT, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CONNEAUT COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BODY FOR ELECTRIC-LIGHT FIXTURES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 3, 1911.

Application filed January 27, 1909. Serial No. 474,386.

' fixtures.

More particularly the invention is directed to the production of a body which shall permit the free manipulation of the wires during the formation of the splices between the line wires and the branches, and with which there shall be no risk of cutting the wires during the operation of screwing the branch arms into their sockets.

It has further been my object to produce a body in which the above advantages shall not only be had when an open shell is used to inclose the body but may also be had when a closed shell forms part of the finished structure.

It will be seen that the above objects and other advantages are attained in the particular embodiment of my invention described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which;

Figure 1 is an elevation partly broken away and partly in section illustrating the body in position in an electric lamp fixture. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the body. Fig. 3 is a side elevation at right angles to the view shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same.

The body here illustrated has a central band or zone A with properly threaded holes A therein which receive the threaded ends of the arms or branches B carrying the individual lights of the fixture. These arms or branches are of course hollow and the branch wires are led from the body through these arms to the lamp socket.

As is well known to those familiar with this art, it is necessary that the body, which is the real medium of support of the entire fixture below the stem C, must have means for securin it to the stem and must also be provided with means for attaching the finishing device, which is usually a shell with a terminal tip thereon or a shell D with a drop light attachmentE below the same. The difficulty heretofore has been to comply with these requirements and at the same time afford the workman a fair opportunity to manipulate his wires in forming the splice joints and to avoid cutting the wires when inserting the branch arms into their sockets.

Above the supporting band of my body I provide a raised or arched bridge A having a threaded socket A centrally therein adapted to take on the lower end of the supporting stem of the fixture. It will be ob served that this bridge is raised clear of the supporting band and has its ends spread so as to be attached to said band at the top face or edge A and not to the interior wall of the same. This is a particularly desirable feature since it leaves the interior of the supporting band hollow and free from cutting obstructions.

The means for supporting the drop light or the terminal which secures the lower shell in position, as the case may be, comprises a second bridge A" springing from the supporting band in the same manner as that above described. This second or lower bridge also has a socket A" which receives a hollow tube in case a drop is used or a wire rod in case a terminal is used for supporting the lower finishing shell. These two bridges being each raised away and clear from the level of the supporting band and having their ends attached to the upper and lower faces or edges respectively of said band, leave the entire structure hollow, as above stated, so that no amount of turning of the branch arms during the operation of screwing them into their sockets will affect the wires, since the space which they occupy is entirely free from any obstruction or from any projection which mi ht cut them. Furthermore it will be seen t at this same clearance on the part of the bridges gives the workman an opportunity to work from the top or the bottom of the body just as the circumstances of the case may require, drawing the ends .of the line wires and the branch wires out of the spaces between the lower part of the bridge and the upper part of the .supporting band and forming the splice with perfect ease, and tucking the wires back into the hollow central portion of the body when the splices are finished.

It is to be particularly noted that the structure described not only thus attains the advantages set forth in the statement of invention but is of such construction that the castings may be made just as easily as, if not more easily than, the castings previously known in the art, for reasons which will be instantly apparent to those familiar with the art of metal casting.

The exterior surface of the supporting band A is spherical and this enables me to drill the holes A, into which the branches B are placed, at any desired point and rely upon the end of the finishing sleeve Bwhich is fitted against the exterior surface being always true, that is, it will always project in a true radial direction and fit firmly against the band without wabbling.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A body for electric lamp fixtures comprising a supportingband having sockets therein for receiving branch arms, an open bridge springing from one face of said band and rising clear away from the level ofsai d face, and a second open bridge springing from a second face of said band and rising clear away from the level of this last named face, each of said bridges being provided with sockets adapted to receive the ends of tubes or rods.

2. A body for electric light fixtures comprising a central supporting band having on its upper face a narrow arched bridge with a receiving socket and on its lower face a second narrow arched bridge also provided with a receiving socket, the entire space between the inner walls of the supporting band and the inner walls of the arches being free from obstruction.

3. A body for electric light fixtures comprising a supporting band having openings for branch arms, a raised bridge rising from the top face of said band, a second raised bridge rising from the bottom face of said band, the body being free from obstruction in the space between the side faces of each bridge and the face of the band from which it rises.

4. A body for electric light fixtures comprising a supporting band having openings therein for branch arms and Open bridges rising from opposing sides of said band, said band having an exterior spherical surface in the zone of the openings.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILFRID LUMLEY.

Witnesses:

H. R. SULLIVAN, J. M. WOODVARD, 

